Cubs Pound Pirates, Brewers Edge Cardinals

Published on April 12 2018 6:23 am
Last Updated on April 12 2018 9:24 am

CHICAGO -- See Javy hit. See Javy run. See Javy create havoc on the bases once again.

Javier Baez provided the spark Wednesday night, hitting a pair of home runs for the second straight game and scoring the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning after some heads-up baserunning to help the Cubs post a 13-5 victory over the Pirates.

Baez, who hit a pair of solo homers on Tuesday, belted his third of the season in the second when he connected on a 3-1 pitch from Pirates starter Steven Brault to take a 4-3 lead.

The Pirates tied the game at 4 on Francisco Cervelli's RBI single in the fifth, but Baez answered in an adventurous sixth. He struck out to open the inning yet reached first on a wild pitch by Pirates reliever Tyler Glasnow. Baez then advanced on a groundout by Jason Heyward and stole third.

The Pirates brought the infield in, and pinch-hitter Tommy La Stella hit a chopper to second baseman Josh Harrison, who double pumped before he threw home. Baez slid in safely to give the Cubs a 5-4 lead.

Brewers 3, Cardinals 2

The subject of identity came up again in the Cardinals' clubhouse Wednesday, after St. Louis dropped the rubber game to the Brewers by a 3-2 score. This is a common theme these days when talking about Adam Wainwright, to Adam Wainwright or both. It's considered often in the 36-year-old's mind. Who he is. The pitcher he's been. And what type of pitcher, at this stage in his career, he can still be.

Truly, the empirical evidence -- radar readings, spin-rate data, numbers crunched ad nauseum -- suggests a pitcher demonstrably different than the Cy Young Award candidate Wainwright once was. But Wednesday he proved this new version can still be effective, at the absolute least a serviceable part of a big league rotation.

More than ever before, the new Wainwright will depend on commanding the ball early and controlling counts. His velocity will oscillate, often intentionally and sometimes dramatically. And when the righty is going right, he will do many things well, eliciting soft contact and offering durability chief among them.

Wainwright needed just 90 pitches to complete seven solid innings, over which he allowed little more than two solo home runs. The righty allowed three runs on eight hits, just four of which exceeded Statcast™'s "hard-hit" threshold of 95 mph. He walked none, carrying much of the freight on a day the Cardinals were down at least three players, including Yadier Molina, who served his one-game suspension, and unavailable relievers Bud Norris and Hicks.

Day of Brawls

It was a day of base-brawl in the majors Wednesday as the benched emptied during three separate games.

There was a benches-clearing brawl during the Colorado Rockies game against the San Diego Padres and two during the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees game. Fines and/or suspensions are likely to be forthcoming.